February 6, 2018 9:47am ESTFebruary 6, 2018 9:26am ESTNFL free agency in 2018 will be all about the quarterbacks. Where will QBs like Kirk Cousins, Tyrod Taylor, Eli Manning and Teddy Bridgewater play next season?

Kirk Cousins, Redskins

Cousins is primed to hit free agency following a blockbuster deal in which the Redskins agreed to trade for Alex Smith, giving them no reason to keep Cousins an additional season. While Washington in theory could apply the tag on Cousins, it would cost nearly $34.5 million, which makes no sense with another QB under contract.

Cousins in 2018 will be the hottest free agent since Ndamukong Suh and the best free-agent QB since Peyton Manning. His market value should be anywhere between $27.5 million and $29 million per year.

Cousins might have been hurt by the 49ers’ trade for Jimmy Garoppolo, as they were expected to be hot for Cousins, but there should be no shortage of interested teams. It’s rare that quarterbacks are available in free agency, and even more rare that a QB who is available is considered an above-average player.

The Cardinals, Jaguars, Browns, Jets, Bills and Dolphins all make sense as teams that could be interested in Cousins. The more teams get involved, the more expensive his price tag will be.

Alex Smith, Chiefs

The Chiefs have agreed to trade Smith to the Redskins at the start of the league year. Washington reportedly has agreed to a four-year extension with Smith worth $23.5 million per season and slightly over $70 million in guarantees.

The contract is in line with the current market and will slot Smith slightly above Eli Manning, Ben Roethlisberger, and Philip Rivers, all of whom signed new contracts in their mid-30s a few years ago.

The trade can't be executed until the start of the 2018 league year (March 14), so it will not be official until then.

Tyrod Taylor, Bills

As long as his legs hold up, Taylor likely will have a long journeyman career in the NFL. He’s electric at times and below-average at others.

Taylor has an $18 million cap figure, which is fair, but the Bills are just as likely to bench him as they are to start him, so keeping him on the roster at that price seems foolish. The Bills would pick up $9.4 million if they cut him. Taylor has a $6 million roster bonus due on the third day of the league year, so the Bills need to make a quick decision.

Projecting a salary for Taylor is hard, because the style he plays is not everybody’s cup of tea. A player like Taylor generally would earn around $15 million per season, but his salary could be lower with incentives that can max it out higher. This is probably the price range in which a team like the Broncos would get involved in chasing a quarterback.

Eli Manning, Giants

Manning in 2017 went through arguably the worst year of his career. His coach and general manager, both of whom later would lose their jobs, benched Manning out of nowhere for Geno Smith. The Giants are entering a rebuilding phase and have the second pick in the draft, so Manning’s time with the Giants, if it isn’t over already, is going to last only one more season.

Releasing Manning would save the Giants $9.8 million on the salary cap, so it makes sense financially. If they do decide to release him, expect them to do so early, with a big press conference similar to what Peyton Manning got with his Colts send-off. Eli Manning has a no-trade clause, so it makes little sense for New York to drag this on.

Manning if released would find a home on a team that considers itself a contender, with Denver and Jacksonville being the teams that make the most sense. The Vikings also could be an option if they go in a different direction. A bad team should not even consider Manning given his age and declining play.

Salary-wise, Manning should have a base in the $17 million range. He would need to be incentivized to reach $20 million.

Jimmy Garoppolo, 49ers

Garoppolo was traded to the 49ers at the deadline and got his chance to shine when an injury allowed him to get into the lineup. His undefeated run as starter to end the season likely upped his asking price by millions. The 49ers went from being a punching bag for most of the year to one of the hottest teams in the NFL, and the only difference was the quarterback.

It’s hard to envision a scenario in which the 49ers would give up a second-round pick for a player and then let him walk in free agency. And the market for Garoppolo is questionable — the Patriots were unable to trade him for a first-round pick earlier in the year, and so many teams have been burned on backup-type players that the market is generally more limited. Had Garoppolo not played those last few games, he probably would have been looking at a contract somewhere between $15 million and $18 million per season. Now he should be asking for $25 million.

The 49ers, generally risk-averse with their contracts, have never signed such a deal. While a fair compromise might be $22 million with massive playoff escalators, a similar structure to what they used with Colin Kaepernick’s deal, the odds are in favor of the use of one of the tags.

The two numbers are close (around $21 million and $23 million), but there is almost no offer Garoppolo could receive that the 49ers could not match. So the transition tag might be the best move, especially if the 49ers think the long game is multiple tags.

Drew Brees, Saints

Brees’ contract will void the day before free agency, and the Saints can’t use the franchise tag on him. There is also a massive salary cap penalty when his contract voids (an additional $12 million), so it’s imperative that the Saints get a contract for Brees done soon.

Though the Saints’ season had a disappointing ending, overall, it was a major win for the front office. After years of struggles, New Orleans looked like a real contender thanks mostly to the young players it grabbed in the draft. That is far more sustainable than having a few older veterans find the fountain of youth in the same year, and it should make Brees more willing to stay rather than chase a title elsewhere.

Brees, even at age 39, probably would score gold in free agency, but he’ll probably take a discount to remain in New Orleans and give the Saints more money to improve the team. Our guess is three years around $25 million per year with all of the contract having the ability to be guaranteed.

Case Keenum, Sam Bradford and Teddy Bridgewater, Vikings

The 2017 season was crazy for the Vikings’ quarterbacks, and all three will be free agents. Keenum had the season of a lifetime until the clock struck midnight in Philadelphia during the NFC championship game. Bradford looked great for one game before his injury bug caught up to him again. Bridgewater returned to the field after a devastating knee injury more than a year ago.

Of the three, Keenum probably stands to make the most money in free agency. He is not a highly regarded player, but after this season, he should earn a contract similar to what Mike Glennon got in Chicago, around $15 million per season.

Keenum could force the Vikings’ hand and hope they use the transition tag on him, which would be worth more to him than the Glennon-style contract, especially when you consider he was just four bad quarters away from possibly being a $20 million-per-year player.

Bradford probably lost the most money this season with his injury. Had he been in Keenum’s position and led the Vikings deep into the playoffs, Bradford would have gotten a $25 million extension. Now he probably won’t reach $10 million.

Bradford has always been a risk, and this year’s injury was one nobody could even pinpoint as to when and why it happened. It’s possible he would be willing to be a backup for $8 million next year in Minnesota, knowing that if Keenum implodes, he’ll get another chance.

Bridgewater probably is the least likely to be offered a contract to return to the Vikings, unless the other two turn down offers. Minnesota deactivated Bridgewater in the playoffs, which shows the team views him as a third-stringer.

Bridgewater is a former first-rounder, and those players always have value. It would not be surprising to see him sign elsewhere in the $6 million range with upside for more based on performance. He would be a nice stopgap for teams like the Jets and Browns.

Blake Bortles, Jaguars

The Jaguars played most of the postseason as if they had no faith in their quarterback, trying to make things as simple as possible for him. Bortles has a $19 million salary next season, and even though the Jaguars have no cap issues, it’s difficult to see the justification for their keeping him at that price.

A good comparable to Bortles is Mark Sanchez, who started at QB for the Jets when they had a high-powered defense. Sanchez had his moments, but the Jets might have won a Super Bowl with better QB play.

Windows for championships in the NFL are small, especially when a team does not have a great quarterback. The Jaguars, in a position to explore the market and bring in a more proven commodity, should make the most of their window.

Bortles as a free agent should not be worth much more than $5 million per season, and he likely would be put in a situation in which he’d have to compete for the starting job.